Slightest Chance
by MakorraLove97
Summary: Two things Clint Barton knows for sure is it's only a matter of seconds until his leg gives out beneath him and that once he heard the familiar ticking sound, he knew only one of them would be able to make it out. And he already knew who that would be, whether or not Natasha agrees with him. He won't be the reason to hold her back, but she can't leave him behind. *Two-Shot*
1. Part One

**Hi guys, how are you all? I _was_ planning on making this a one-shot, but I couldn't help myself and decided to make this a two-shot. The next chapter should be coming up soon, I really hope you like the story! :)**

_**Please leave a comment/review and let me know what you think of it, it would mean a whole lot to me. Thank you!**_

**I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS.**

* * *

"_Slightest Chance_"

**. . . **

There are two things Agent Clint Barton knows for sure, as he throws another punch at the large man who has the same amount of rage and flames dancing in his dark eyes as Clint does.

One thing he knows is that, it is only in a matter of seconds until Clint's leg gives out beneath him, forcing him to crumble down to the tile floor in a pool of his own red liquid.

The other man curls his hand up into a tight fist and then swings, aiming to hit Clint directly in the face, but he blocks it at the last second with his hand and then doesn't even hesitate before expanding his other hand to land a hard punch to the man's jaw. The man stumbles backwards, but doesn't fall to the ground.

Clint can hear the other man grunt at the impact and then growl in annoyance as he harshly spits out venom at Clint, "You know, Agent, I'm starting to reconsider killing you right away. I think instead I'll get my payback for trying to ruin this operation and torture you."

Instead of replying, Clint keeps his eyes locked on his targets face, watching his every movement carefully. _He can't afford to make any mistakes now… certainly not now_.

He grabs the man's arm and pulls him forward so they're only inches apart, and then, with one swift movement, Clint bends his arm and lands a hard blow with his elbow to the man's face, making blood come immediately pouring out of his nose.

Only for a brief second, Clint takes the chance by glancing over his shoulder while the man holds his nose with one hand and tries to regain his balance. Instantly Clint's eyes land on Natasha and a crooked grin forms on his face as he watches her unleash all her strength as she jumps in the air and kicks the bodyguard hard in face with the heel of her boot.

Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff were sent on a mission to stop one of the deadliest operations that have been going on for the last seven years. This operation didn't need long before the man who is in charge, Nathan Carter, to kill over a million of innocent people- and that was _just_ innocent people. There were still thousands of criminals and competitions had to be eliminated.

An hour ago, Clint and Natasha ambushed Nathan Carter and his bodyguard, Marco Salazar. They were in an abandoned warehouse, waiting to make a business deal with some buyers. Outside of the warehouse, Natasha easily took care of the buyers while Clint headed inside the warehouse to take care of Carter.

Marco Salazar is a very well built, strong, dangerous looking man, who, by the looks of it, seems to be Latino. He has spiky black hair with dark brown eyes that are very close to looking back. His skin is tan and he wears all black, an emotionless expression resting on his face. He also has a single scar running down the side of his face, going over his eye- a scar that goes from the top of his hairline to the tip of his chin.

Nathan Cater is a middle-aged man who has harsh facial features and has flames burning in his dark olive green eyes. He wears a complete black suit with his black hair slightly greased back, some strands falling in front of his face. His tanned skin imprinted with thousands of small scars, but one large one around his neck, like someone tried slicing his neck before.

The moment Clint walked into the warehouse and was spotted by the bodyguard, Marco, a gun was pointed directly at his head. They argued for a bit, threats going back and forth, until Natasha sneaked in and helped her partner out.

That is when everything started to go south.

The fight started and Natasha and Clint had no problem dodging and blocking the attacks that were thrown at them, but the tables were quickly turned when Nathan managed to get his hand back on his gun –which was flung on the other side of the room during the fight. He didn't hesitate before pulling the trigger, aiming it directly at Barton.

Right as Nathan Carter's finger pulled the trigger, Natasha didn't waste a second before sprinting towards the man and pushing him to the ground, hoping she managed to make his shot miss.

It missed, in a way.

Instead of the bullet being imbedded into Clint's skull, the bullet went into the Agent's thigh, making a sharp, painful grunt leave his lips as he stumbled to the ground, clenching his leg.

As much as Natasha wanted to go help her partner who was in desperate need of her help, she had to stall Nathan and Marco until Clint managed to get back on his feet and join back into the fight.

It took a few minutes, but Barton ripped his jacket off him and tied it around his thigh, hoping that would stop the bleeding, and quickly got back on his feet to help Natasha out, who was now getting tagged teamed.

As of now, Clint can feel his body's energy begin draining out of him as he fights to keep his eyes open. Even for a well trained Agent, anyone who receives constant, severe, blows to the head and losses a lot of blood from a bullet wound would be exhausted and on the edge of falling into unconsciousness.

Natasha's head whips around, like it has been doing ever since Clint got shot in the thigh, and checks to make sure he's still holding up and still on his feet. With her back to the bodyguard who is on the floor after kicking him in the face with her heel, she doesn't realize he has already, somehow, gotten back up on his feet and wraps his arm tightly around her neck.

Her eyes widening when she feels Marco's strong grip around her neck, she tries using her nails to claw at his skin to make him let go, but it's no use. Deciding a better strategy, Natasha bends her arm and slams her elbow into the bodyguard's stomach, causing him to grunt loudly in pain, and then not a second later does Natasha throw back her head to make it collide into Marco's, sending him backwards into the wall, making him eventually sink to the tile floor.

The other thing Clint Barton knows is that once he heard the familiar beeping sound, he knew only one of them would be able to make it out.

There is no hesitation or a second thought of what comes to the Agent's mind as he listens to the beeping sound echo throughout the entire empty warehouse.

As Natasha goes to help Clint with Carter, the bodyguard's leg comes crashing into the back of her knee, making her fall forwards and land on all fours. Her eyes narrow at the floor until she quickly spins herself around so she's facing Marco and she slides her knife out of her boot, throwing it with perfect aim until the knife goes straight into the man's forehead, killing him instantly.

Smirking at her victory, she quickly climbs to her feet and turns to face Clint, but that's when she hears the beeping echo repeatedly throughout the warehouse, the sound so loud as it ticks. She isn't sure where it's coming from exactly, but she knows exactly what's making the ticking sound and she knows for sure her and Clint only have less than minutes to get out of the warehouse and far as possible.

Spotting the handle of Clint's knife that's tucked away securely in his right boot, Nathan ducks as Clint swings his fist at him and quickly snatches the small, but deadly weapon in his hand. He stands up straight away with a smug smirk before slicing the air with the knife, missing Clint as he jumped backwards when he saw the knife coming his way.

"Trying to kill me with my own weapon? Not right." Clint frowns as he slides out of the way to dodge another hit from Carter and then he curls his hands into a tight fist and punches Nathan in the side of his head.

A little disoriented from the hit, Carter shakes his head a little and blinks his eyes hard, meanwhile, Barton takes this as his chance to jump forward and bring up his knee –with his good leg- to slam it hard into Carter's stomach. He then kicks the boss of the operation in the knee, hearing a painful crack and shortly afterwards a piercing cry of pain leaving Carter's lips.

The knife slides out of Nathan's hand and he stumbles to the ground, allowing Clint to have a better angle to kick him hard in his ribs and punch him in his kidney. Nathan Carter begins choking on his own blood as he lies on the red-stained tile floor. He coughs up blood and lies there as a pool of dark, crimson red liquid surrounds him.

"Clint." Natasha's calm voice turns Barton's attention away from the fallen man and to her. He raises an eyebrow as he sees the desperate look in her eyes. "We need to get out of here."

Staying silent for a second to listen to the ticking sound, he nods his head sharply at his partner, "Yeah, about that." He turns his head to narrow his eyes at Nathan, "When the hell did you have time to plant a bomb?"

It takes the man a few moments before finding enough strength to make a short sentence. "Bomb… bomb was made for after the business deal." He then pulls out a red button, "Push this b-button and… and it activates the bomb."

"You were going to take the money from the business deal, make an escape, and then blow this place up. Coward." Natasha hisses out at him as she shakes her head disapprovingly.

"You'll… you'll never make it out of here." Carter says in a weak, but deadly tone, "Only one of you m-might make it." He lets out a chuckle despite the massive amount of pain he's suffering at the moment. "Especially not w-with his injury."

Natasha kneels down to pick up the gun Clint dropped in the beginning of the fight and aims it perfectly in the center of Nathan Carter's head. "Drop dead." She spits out, letting the last words Nathan will ever hear out before she pulls the trigger and listens to the sound of the gun go off as the bullet crashes into Nathan's skull and kills him instantaneously.

"Come on," Natasha wraps her arm around Clint's waist to help support him, "let's get out of here before this place goes up in flames."

The first step takes is Clint's last as his leg finally gives out, unwilling to support his weight any further, forcing him to fall painfully on his knees and then lie on the floor as blood seeps through his wound on his thigh and through his jacket that he wrapped tightly around it.

Natasha's eyes widen as she watches her partner fall to the floor with a painful grunt leaving his lips. She watches him fall backwards until his back connects with the tile floor and she watches with horror shining in her eyes as the blood comes pouring out of his leg, staining his clothes and the floor with his dark crimson blood.

She kneels down beside him and takes his scratched up cheeks in her cold hands. She stares him directly in the eyes and already she can see how his eyes are losing focus. She can feel her stomach doing flips as she watches his eyes begin to flutter close.

"No!" She hears her own voice yell towards the man she fell in love with ever since she laid eyes on him, "No, don't you _dare_, Clint! Don't you dare leave me like this. Come on! We have to go before this place blows up into a million of pieces."

He offers her a small smile, but it only lasts a few seconds before he begins coughing up his own blood. "S-Sorry, N-Nat. Don't…" He swallows hard as he squeezes his eyes shut before opening them again, sadness and emptiness consuming his usual bright, life filled, determined, and loving eyes. "Don't stay."

"What?" She stares down at him, confusion spreading across her face, "Clint, there's not a chance in hell that I'm leaving you. I'm not leaving you behind."

He shakes his head, "Nat, I can't move!" He lifts his hand up slowly so he can lay his hand on top of hers, which is still resting gently on his cheek. "I'm not letting y-you risk your life just so you… so you can try to save mine. It's not worth it."

"You're my partner." Natasha says a bit colder than she attended to make it sound. "How can you ask me to leave you?!"

Clint listens to the ticking sound for a few seconds before curling his fingers around her wrist and pulling it away from his cheek. He brings the back of her hand to his lips and presses a gentle kiss to her skin, making shivers run down her spine. "I'm not asking you to leave me, I'm asking you to save yourself."

"You're telling me to go save myself and leave you beyond, which I refuse to do, Barton! I can get you out of here." Tears are threatening to spill from her eyes, but they never escape, she won't allow herself because to her, tears mean weakness and it means giving up. She needs to stay strong- for her and for Clint.

"This is where it all began and it's the perfect place for it to end if it's going to end, Tasha." Clint whispers as he smiles sadly at her.

_They're in Budapest. The warehouse they are currently in is located in the center of Budapest, Hungary._

Red lights begin to flicker inside the warehouse, catching both, Natasha and Clint's, attention. A loud alarm sound goes off, making the ticking sound barely hearable anymore.

In the corner of Clint's eye, he can see a metal gate slowly begin to lower itself so there is no way to exit the warehouse- all exits will be locked down so whoever is trapped inside stays trapped.

Placing both bloody hands on each side of Natasha's face, he pulls her head down so he can press a kiss onto her lips- a kiss that holds every emotion he is feeling. Anger, desire, lust, passion, anger, sadness, _love_. He puts everything he can into the kiss and then only a second later, he pushes her back, "Go."

"Clint-" She tries to say, but he shakes his head as he snatches his gun that lays a few inches away from his head and he presses it to his head. He whispers sadly, "I won't go in pain, I promise. Now," He swallows around the lump that has formed in his throat as he fights back his own tears, "go."

As much as Natasha doesn't want to, it's his last wish- his last request from her. She bites down hard on her bottom lip and starts running backwards, never moving her eyes away from his.

Clint watches Natasha make it to the door and with one final look from her, he watches a tear slide down her pale cheek, mixing with her own blood as she drops down onto the floor, laying flat on her stomach, and rolls under the metal gate before it can slam shut.

Letting out a sigh of relief after watching the woman he loves make it out of the warehouse, he doesn't even have a time to blink before the entire warehouse goes up in flames.

**. . .**

Natasha makes it out of the warehouse just in time and she manages to crawl a few feet away before the entire warehouse blows up- glass flying everywhere and flames bursting out from all different directions. Right as the bomb goes off, forcing the warehouse to explode, she hears a single gunshot; making her flinch and making her heart skip a beat.

She watches in horror as she lays her back against a tree bark, wrapping her arms tightly around- hugging herself tightly as she lets the tears finally spill from her eyes and slide down her cheeks.

Natasha didn't only leave beyond Agent Clint "Hawkeye" Barton, but she left behind her partner, her best friend, the love of her life. She left him behind and saved herself, just like he asked of her.

Now, the Russian sits there, watching the flames and smoke that are now devouring the warehouse where Clint is still trapped in. The suspense of not knowing whether or not if he was in pain when he _died_ or not knowing if the bullet killed him or the explosion did _kills_ her inside.

She does the thing she never thought she would do in her entire life- she _prays_ there is a slightest chance he's still alive, but deep down, she knows there's none. She buries her face in her hands and lets the silent sobs escape her body as her body trembles with every cry that leaves her body.

Natasha isn't sure how long she stays there, in the same spot with her arms wrapped around herself, but she doesn't care. She stays there until the sun disappears below the horizon and it takes a long time for her to find the energy- the _strength_ to call the other Agents- to call Fury to inform him what happened.

With a single breath, she whispers into the night, praying he can hear her wherever he is:

_I love you, Clint Barton._


	2. Part Two

**Hi guys, how are you all doing? I am so, so sorry for the long wait with this update, but recently my dog just passed away and I didn't have the time or desire to actually write anything for a while, but here I am again, with Part Two! I do apologize for the long wait, but I hope you like it. Here is the second and final part of this story, please enjoy. :)**

**Thank you guys so much, by the way, for following, favoriting, reviewing, and reading this story, it means so much to me, thanks! :D**

_**Please comment/review and let me know what you think of it, I would greatly appreciate it, thank you!**_

**I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS.**

* * *

"_Slightest Chance_"

**Part Two**

**. . .**

Natasha sits there surrounded by thousands of other agents, all of them waiting for the ceremony to begin. She can feel her heart in her stomach, broken in half, as her emerald eyes dart forward, locked on the black casket that sits in front of all the chairs that are gathered around.

She sits there, with her arms folded across her chest and her right leg bouncing up and down in a fast pace. She sucks in a deep breath and does her best to hold back the tears that are threatening to spill over down her cheeks. She swallows hard, around the lump that has made its way to be stuck in her throat, and she clenches her jaw.

The casket holds the man she loves- or what is left of him, anyways. Once the flames were put out in the warehouse, both, firefighters and agents, went back inside to find bodies. The polished, wooden casket is placed on a plain table made out of wood, also. The casket has a dark purple cloth laid on top of it with two dozen red roses.

Natasha has to tear her eyes away so she can look down at the single rose that rests in her hands- hands that have killed so many people, but right now, at this moment, they are as delicate as a flower. She stares down at the yellow rose with red tips, a flower that represents "Friendship" and "Falling in Love".

She isn't sure how long she has been in love with her partner, but she knows deep down, she always had a connection to him. He gave her a second chance- he saved her life more ways than just one; he saved her life more times than she can count or remember.

Now looking up at the casket that holds the remains of Clint Barton, she can feel the air be sucked right out of her and she can feel her body go numb. She can feel a tear escape her eyes and begin to slide down her cheek, but halfway down, Natasha lifts up her shaky hand and wipes it away with the back of her hand.

"_Why couldn't you find a way out?_" She says in her head as she looks down at the flower, squeezing her eyes tightly shut, "_Why couldn't you survive and come back to us? Back to me?_"

One thing the Black Widow certainly was not is weak, but at a time like this, this is an exception. This is the one thing her fellow co-workers would see her fragile side- the side that is shield away deep inside her and only comes out when she truly feels lost- _broken_.

Vaguely, she can sense everyone around her walking around, chatting with each other while she sits silently in the chair right in front of the casket, only inches away. She sniffs and tries to control her emotions- there would be time later when she is alone to let go of everything she is feeling, but for now, she has to stay strong.

A hand gently touches her shoulder, making the Russian jump at the sudden contact. She leaps out of her seat, the rose still tightly in her hand, and her eyes narrow at the owner of the hand that touched her.

When Natasha's eyes land on the man who placed his hand on her shoulder, she lets out a sigh and runs her free hand through her red hair. She shakes her head and huffs, "Thanks, Tony."

Tony Stark raises his hands up in defense and offers her a small, sympathetic smile, "Er, sorry about that, Natasha. Didn't mean to startle you."

She shakes her head, "You didn't. I was just… lost in thought, I suppose." She sits back down and stares down at the rose, her fingers gently stroking the red tips of the bright, yellow rose.

Tony sits down next to her and gazes over to the casket, "You miss him." It was more of a statement than a question- he _knows_ she misses him. The two of them were best friends, partners. They looked out for one another and now he is gone and she is left alone. Yes, she made friends with the rest of the Avengers and is acquaintances with a few other agents, but Clint was something else. They shared a strong connection and now with him gone, she feels like a huge part of her was ripped out and now missing.

She remains silent for a while before she manages to find her voice and reply to him, "Yes, I miss him." She bites down on her lip and shakes her head again, "I should have stayed back and tried to save him. He was my partner and I just turned my back on him when he needed me the most."

A humorless chuckle escapes passed Tony's lips as he shrugs his shoulders and rolls his eyes, "Oh yeah! So, you stay behind, 'try' to save him, and then you both go up in smokes. Yup, because _that_ definitely would have been a better option."

"Oh? And letting my partner die while I save myself is _such_ a better idea? He needed me, Tony. I wouldn't be here for so many different reasons if it weren't for him and how to I repay him? I manage to escape the warehouse and then I watch it explode with him still trapped in it." Natasha's eyes burn into Tony's and for a brief second, he's feels a bit scared of her; especially knowing and actually seeing what the legendary Black Widow can do, particularly when she is mad.

"Natasha," He begins with a bit hesitation, but he keeps his posture. He clears his throat when he continues, "I think Barton knew he wasn't going to make it out of there. I mean, I wasn't technically _there_, but-"

"_Exactly_," She cuts him off, her voice harsh as pain and rage lingers in her eyes, "you _weren't_ there. You didn't see the look on his face as he realized he was going to be left behind. You didn't see the look on his face as he watched be backup to the entrance so _I _can escape while he puts a gun to his head. He said he wouldn't go in pain. I mean, no one understands. I knew him better than anyone else and I knew as much as he loved the job- he didn't want to go so soon."

A tear slides down her pale cheek, but she pays no attention to it, "I feel like I let him down. I'm 'The Black Widow', master assassin and one hell of a spy, fighter, you name it. You're telling me that I couldn't come up with a last minute idea to save the both of us? He died and here I am, breathing and living my life. It's not fair."

Instead of responding, Tong just wraps a hesitated arm around the redhead and allows her to lean her head on his shoulder. He tries to comfort her, but deep down, the billionaire knows there is no recovering from something like this. She will never be able to look herself in the mirror again and manage a smile or see someone worth living. She blames herself for the death of her partner and that is something that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

**. . .**

One after the other, agents went up to stand behind the casket and say a small speech in memory of Clint "Hawkeye" Barton. Director Fury spoke the longest so far and Natasha can't find the strength to go up there and speech in front of all these people who barely even knew Clint.

After Maria Hill finished speaking, all the Avengers –excluding Thor- went up and spoke: Tony, Steve, Bruce, and then there was Natasha, who was still figuring out in her head what she would say when she goes up there.

Once Bruce Banner finished, he takes a deep breath and then sits down on the other side of Natasha, Tony on her other side. Steve looks over at the Black Widow with a raised eyebrow and offers her a sad, but encouraging smile, "I think you're up, Nat."

"_Nat,_" Natasha says in her head, the nickname Clint had for her- the nickname that slipped off his tongue with ease, although it took awhile for Natasha to actually _allow_ him to call her that. She was never a fan of nicknames, that was, until Barton.

She squeezes her eyes shut and nods her head slowly. "Yeah," She breathes out, "I'm up." She sits there for another moment before she opens her eyes that no longer sparkle with life or determination. She glances next to her to see Tony nod his head, trying to encourage her to continue with her movements.

With the ceremony being outside in a large, empty field, Natasha thought it would be easier than being trapped in a small, dark room, but it's not. Nothing can make this easier for her. She clenches her jaw as she stands up and slowly makes her way to stand behind the closed casket.

Her eyes glance over at the large picture that stands a few inches away from the casket- a large image inside a beautiful picture frame of Clint Barton. She bites the inside of her cheek so she doesn't just lose herself right now in front of everyone and she sucks in a deep, shaky breath.

Forcing herself to remove her eyes from the picture of the smirking man in his SHIELD uniform, she lifts her chin up and looks at all the agents sitting there in silence, waiting for her to speak. She clears her throat and places the flower gently on top of the rest, "Clint Barton was certainly something else. He was different from any man I ever met… or killed."

A few, low chuckles were heard, making a small smirk tug at her lips. "He saved my life when he was supposed to kill me. He was ordered to exterminate me, but instead, he made a different call. I probably didn't deserve to live and I practically gave him hell _for_ saving me. He didn't care and he never turned his back on me. He looked out for me and while everyone else ran from me and thought I should have never joined SHIELD, he never left my side. He never gave up on me."

She pauses for a second when she feels her knees shake and she can hear her voice begin to crack. She sighs as she stares down at the rose, her hair falling in front of her face, shielding the emotions that expose themselves to everyone watching.

"He didn't deserve to die, not like he did. His heart was in the job and he loved doing what he did, but that doesn't excuse the fact that he wasn't ready to go." She looks back up at everyone as she runs a hand through her wavy, red locks, "I miss him. We all do. He was one hell of an agent and a great, determined man. I honestly don't know what I would have done without him- I still don't know what to do without him _now_."

Natasha places a gentle hand on top of the casket as she closes her eyes, sighing, "He was not only my partner, but my best friend- my companion… I cared about him so much- I still care about him, despite the fact that he's gone now. He served his country and brought down a dangerous man in the process. He put my life before his own and… I can never thank him enough, but I also hate him for it."

Tony looks down at his feet, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He figured she would say something like that. He knows, whether she would admit it or not that she is- or _was_ in love with Clint Barton. She loved Hawkeye.

Natasha keeps her eyes screwed shut as she tries to find her voice- she tries to form the right words. She would probably never confess her true feelings for her partner in front of all these agents. Although they shared a kiss, she never actually got to say she loved him. He never heard her say the three words, and, even though he probably already knew it, she still would have liked to say it to him. She isn't fond of those three words, she use to think love was for children, but the connection Barton and her have, it's something entirely different. They never needed words to understand each other and she knows, deep down, he loved her too.

"When I was in the warehouse with him, I refused to leave him, even when he begged me to. I yelled at him; I wasn't sure how he expected me to leave him. He simply told me, '_I'm not asking you to leave me, I'm asking you to save yourself_'." Natasha shakes her head as she remembers Clint telling her that after planting a gentle kiss to the back of her cold hand.

"I hate him for making me leave him behind. It should have been _me_ trapped in the warehouse when the bomb went off- not him. He did not deserve to die; I deserved it. His life was worth so much more than mine is. I was a monster most of my life- I took away so many lives while he saved lives. He was never a bad man- he was a hero and what Loki made him do wasn't his own fault." Natasha squeezes her eyes even tighter and tears leak out of the corners of her eyes, "I wish I can take his place. I wish he can be here, right now, continuing doing what he loves to do. I wish it was me and now that he is dead-"

"Whoa," A raspy, familiar voice cuts her off, "who the hell said I was dead?"

Every single one of the agents and the Avengers all turn their heads to stare at the man standing in the aisle between the two groups of seats. He stands there, with his arms folded neatly across his chest, and a raised eyebrow as he stares straight ahead at Natasha.

His eyes glance down at the casket, causing his eyebrows to furrow together, "Am I supposed to be in there?"

Natasha's eyes slowly open at the sound of _his_ voice and she can feel her stomach twist as her heart clenches. She blinks hard as her emerald color eyes lock with his grey ones; a soft gasp escaping passed her lips as another tear rolls down her pale, scratched cheek.

Tony leans over and whispers to Bruce with a raised eyebrow, "You see him too, right?"

Bruce rolls his eyes, but nods his head, "Yeah, I see him standing there too… I don't know how though."

"Fantastic." Tony nods as he glances away from the man to set eyes on Natasha, who looks like she is having a hard time believing her eyes, like they all are.

Natasha wipes away the tears with the back of her hand and she slowly walks towards the man that stands there with a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. She holds her breath with every step she takes closer to him- deep down praying that he won't disappear when she reaches him.

"How…" She whispers, but she can't find it within herself to continue the sentence. She takes a deep breath and continues marching forwards, sensing every pair of eyes on her as she comes to a stop a few inches away from the man. "I… I don't understand."

The man goes to speak, but she shakes her head, cutting him off, "No, no this is not possible." She looks up at him with hard, cold eyes as she narrows them at him, "You're dead."

"I'm pretty sure I'm not." He says, trying to lighten up the mood, but when he receives a very deadly glare from the Black Widow, he shuts himself up. "Listen, I can expla-"

He stops in the middle of his sentence when he spots a single tear escape her left eye and begin to slide down her cheek. His heart sinks at the sight and he takes a step forward, placing a bruised hand on her cheek, his thumb gently wiping away the tear. "Nat, I'm here. I'm really here, alive, standing right in front of you."

"Clint," Natasha breathes out, the sound of his name sending shivers down her spine, "you're… here."

The man, Clint Barton, smiles down at her as he nods his head, "Yeah, I'm here. I know that it must be confusing, but I-"

A very hard and harsh slap cuts him off mid-sentence, making his neck twist and the sound of her hand colliding with his cheek almost echoing off. His hand covers his cheek where she slapped him and his jaw clenches as he stays perfectly still for a few moments.

The Russian stares daggers at him as he slowly turns his head back around so his grey eyes can reconnect with hers. His eyebrows knit together in confusion as he faces her angry expression, he frowns, "What the hell was that for?"

"What was that for?" She asks with her eyebrows shooting upwards as her eyes widen, "What the hell do you think it's for?" She lifts up her hands so they shove against his chest, forcing him to stumble backwards; he has to bite back the pain that shoots up and down his leg where he was shot in the thigh.

"You're standing here, surely alive and well, and all this time, you made _everyone_ believe you were dead! How could you? How could you do that to _me_? I thought you were dead! I thought you died in that explosion! Wait… how the hell _are_ you alive? There was no escaping that warehouse." She folds her arms across her chest and taps her foot impatiently as she waits for his response.

Clint keeps his eyes locked on her face, not even paying attention to all the other agents or the other Avengers. He only notices her as he takes a deep breath and does his best to ignore the massive amount of pain he is feeling at the moment. "Carter was planning on blowing the place up after he collected his money. I realized that at the last second."

"There was no time," Natasha argues and then adds, "Plus, I heard the gun go off and you… you promised you wouldn't go in pain and you pressed the gun to your head, Clint."

He runs a hand through his hair and sighs, "Carter had an escape hole he could crawl out of that was hidden behind a crate. When I saw it, I dropped my gun and crawled over to it as fast as I could, but my gun went off from the extreme amount of heat. I got out just in time for the place to blow up and I practically got buried when the warehouse went down. Also, I couldn't move my leg because of the bullet that was embedded in my thigh. By the time SHIELD came looking for bodies, I was already gone. I managed to leave and hide out somewhere because I couldn't have anyone know I was alive… yet."

"Why not?" She asks, her voice almost cracking, "Why couldn't you let anyone, especially _me_, know you were alive?"

"Carter's partner, second hand man, was still alive and I needed to take him out. He got the news that I died so he was off guard, a little. He knew you wouldn't come looking for him because you just lost your partner and he was going to continue the operation. I found him and took him out. Once he was taken care of, I came back. I came back to everyone… to you."

She raises her hand slowly so she can gently place it on his bruised cheek; the incident only happened a few days ago so the two of them still have bruises and scratches painted along their skins. "I'm so glad you're okay, Clint." She whispers and then leaps into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he wraps his arms protectively around her waist.

"I missed you," He whispers in her ear so only she can hear, "I missed you so much."

She smiles as she buries her face in the crook of his neck and she breathes in his scent. She closes her eyes and whispers back, "I missed you too." She then pulls her head back so she can look him in the eyes, "Oh, and Barton?"

"Yeah?" He watches the smile on her face be replaced with a deadly stare, "You do something like that again and I will actually kill you myself. Got that?"

Clint stares at her for a few seconds, a bit shocked at first, but then he grins, "I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

"Oh, and one more thing." She says as she presses her forehead against his own. He has a feeling what she is going to say and sure enough, she says the three words he always pictured her saying to him, "I love you."

He smiles as the words slip off her tongue and he then leans closer so he can press his lips against her own; the kiss is hungry with emotion and full of passion- neither of them caring that every agent of SHIELD is watching them right now.

When they pull apart, Clint kisses her forehead before whispering back to her, "I love you too, Tasha."

Natasha smiles at the familiar nickname that only he calls her and she laces her fingers with his own, locking their hands together. "I knew if there was going to be even the slightest chance of someone surviving something like that, it was going to be you."

"I'm glad that it was, that's for sure. Now I have the chance to be with you; really be with you." He grins down at her as a slight blush creeps its way onto her face. He chuckles and wraps one of his arms around her waist as he starts walking them over towards the rest of the Avengers who are waiting impatiently to greet him back from the dead and surely yell at him also for pretending to be dead, but he doesn't mind, he is just happy to be back and to see everyone again, especially Natasha.


End file.
